| Three ingenious farmers' business plans to set up small agricultural enterprises |
 |
 |
 |
| Tuesday, 23 December 2008 11:18 |
|
Three agricultural enterprises in
Karauzyak and Chartak districts of Karakalpakstan and Namangan region
will receive initial start up support by the EU/UNDP supported ELS
projects for a period of 9 months.
Three agricultural enterprises in
Karauzyak and Chartak districts of Karakalpakstan and Namangan region
will receive initial start up support by the EU/UNDP supported
Enhancement of Living Standards projects in Karakalpakstan and Namangan
for a period of 9 months. After that, the ELS projects expect them to
fly on their own. On Friday 3rd March 2006, the business plans which had been
short-listed from a total of six, were reviewed by a specially
appointed screening committee. The committee evaluated the potential of
the business plans and based their final decision on the innovative
nature of the plans, their cost effectiveness and the possibility to be
used as model in other regions. The small farmers’ ability to
contribute to better living standards in the regions was the decisive
factor that guided the final selection. The business plans support
food processing such as pasta and flour production in Karakalpakstan
and Namangan and the setting up of bio-factories for pest control in
Namangan. Karakalpakstan and Namangan are very diverse regions: one is
mainly a desert, the other a fertile valley. Their potential of
becoming the engines for the country’s economic growth is good. To
support this potential, in addition to financing business plans, the
ELS projects in Karakalpakstan and Namangan coordinate training for
small farmers on finance and business opportunities and support
agricultural extension work. Small scale private farmers in
Karakalpakstan and Namangan can thus acquire the skills and the
knowledge required to set up and manage more small agricultural
enterprises. The ELS projects rely on the EU experience and UNDP extensive
network of development partners such a the Ministry of the Agriculture,
the World Bank, German Agro-Action, and the International Water
Management Institute which have been advising the ELS project since its
beginning in 2005. The ELS projects have also been supported by the
Emilia Romagna Region and Ferrara District in Italy who kindly hosted a
Karakalpak and Namangan delegation in summer 2005.
 Particularly interesting for the Uzbek
delegation was the Italian experience in the field of industrial fruit
and vegetable processing, and marketing, animal husbandry and small
agricultural cooperatives of producers. Contacts were made with the
Chamber of Commerce and Trade of Ferrara District for possible
technical assistance to small and medium agricultural enterprises.Agriculture plays an important role in the country’s strategy to
improve living standards and achieve the Millennium Development Goals
by the year 2015. Crops such as fruits and vegetables that can be
produced by individual farmers on a smaller scale can improve the
economy of Namangan if they can be transported and sold easily by
farmers. The production of crops such as rice can be very profitable
in Karakalpakstan, if investments in appropriate irrigation
infrastructure are also made. Investments are required if silk
production, a promising sector in Namangan, can effectively contribute
to economic growth and improvement in living standard. For more information about the Millennium Development Goals in Uzbekistan see www.un.uz/eng/mdgs For more information about Ferrara Chamber of commerce, please go to www.camcom.it |
News and Events Three ingenious farmers' business plans to set up small agricultural enterprises
Presentation FE in Namangan (rus) (514 Kb)